Volkswagen has confirmed that the German car maker will launch its final generation combustion engines in 2026 as it looks to ditch petrol and diesel development.

Volkswagen has already committed to made a shift toward battery-driven vehicles in the wake of a damaging diesel-emissions cheating scandal in 2015, which forced the carmaker to pay more than 27 billion euros in fines for hiding excessive pollution.

Michael Jost, strategy chief at VW, told an automotive summit conferences in Wolfsburg, Germany, this week: 'In the year 2026 will be the last product start on a combustion engine platform'.

Petrol and diesel developed to cease in 2026: Michael Jost (left) said Volkswagen will release its final generation combustion engines in 8 years' time before solely focusing on electric cars

A spokesman for VW confirmed Jost's remarks meant that VW - which is Europe and China's best selling passenger car brand - will focus on electric cars instead in eight years' time.

Based on Volkswagen's typical seven-year model cycles, the last newly-developed petrol and diesel engines will be made available on the mk9 Golf, which will be due for launch around 2026.

While this means the German manufacturer won't create new combustion engines, it does not mark the end of production.

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VW will continue to adapt its petrol and diesel engined cars to meet environmental standards during the lifetime of those vehicles, but the German carmaker is now committed to radical steps to stop global warming, Jost said.

As a way to meet the goals of the Paris climate accord, Volkswagen has changed its car development benchmarks to include the target of radically cutting levels of carbon dioxide pollution in production as well, the strategy chief added.

The confirmation is likely to impact all brands that sit within VW Group ownership.

This includes mainstream car makers like Audi, Seat and Skoda as well as the luxury arm of the motor giant, which has Bentley, Lamborghini and Porsche on its books too.

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Volkswagen will stop development of its TDI diesel engines (left) and TSI petrol engines (right) in 2026

Volkswagen has already said it will offer more than 50 electric cars by 2025 as part of ambitions plans outlined in the Strategy 2025 proposal.

That would be an increase from the five on sale in the UK today.

Jost also predicted that the last vehicle with a combustion engine would be sold around 2040, which is when the UK is set to introduce a ban on the sale on new petrol and diesel cars.

Volkswagen has also confirmed that it will streamline its model range and increase vehicle costs to improve profitability.

The brand will axe a quarter of its engine and gearbox variants in Europe, concentrating mainly on the high-demand combinations of drivetrains and trim, to simplify production.

This is part of VW’s 'pact for the future' objective, which aims to reduce costs by three billion euros by the year 2020.

A VW spokesperson confirmed Jost's remarks meant that VW - which is Europe and China's best selling passenger car brand - will focus on electric cars from 2026

Greenpeace UK senior campaigner Rosie Rogers said: 'VW has just become the first major car maker to admit that the end of the combustion engine is in sight.

'They're only words for now, but it's a bit like Saudi Arabia predicting the end of the oil age.

'Just over a year ago, the car giant's leadership was talking up diesel's 'great future' - now they say the end of the road for both diesel and petrol is just over the horizon.'

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